All meat is tied into what it eats. And indeed is going to have that flavor. Most pork and beef products are aged a week or better when purchased in a grocery store. I would say the very minimum amount and animal needs to be aged in a cool place is 3 days. To eat a fresh kill on some game. One can expect tough gamy tasting meat perhaps a slight case of diarrhea if their body system allows for it to happen. Being where I reside. If I take an animal in the late Fall here and its cold. I gut and skin it as quickly as I can. 1/4 it and cover with a tarp. (Never store or age meat in a plastic bag) and let that meat age in the back of my hardly used pick-up box. (Box has a lockable Glass-lite cover.) for 2 weeks in the near freezing cold than thaw, cut, and package. My suggestion. You should pep game meat before eating for it to be enjoyed by all seated at your table. Kids especially.

For the record brining meat in salt water adds water to the meat making it more juicy. An example would be salt pills for troops so they can retain water or water added and salt brined hams. The more salt the more water something can absorb

I've only ever eaten feral hog that was already killed and cooked. Sadly I wasn't able to participate in the hunt the last time I was in a place that had a hog population.

That said the last meal of hog I'd eaten was from a hog that was close to 200lbs after field dressing. We cut some of it up small and stir fried it over VERY high heat while the rest we smoked for a day. It all tasted very good and the smoked meat was falling off the bone tender. The stir fried stuff wasn't as tender but I wouldn't say it was overly tough. I had no trouble chewing and swallowing it. As for the taste - there was a certain amount of gaminess but it didn't bother me or any other diners at all. Of course the disclaimer should be made that I actually enjoy a good amount of gaminess in my meat (unless its from the store or a butcher then it shouldn't be gamey.)

I process every animal I hunt ASAP. I don't hang the meat or age it at all. Usually if its deer I'll gut it and hang it for the day till I can take it to the registration station. Once registered I'll take it home and process it that evening. If I'm at deer camp then the deer is processed after I come back from registration and is packaged into Foodsaver packages and vacuum sealed that night. If its cold enough outside to freeze I toss them in the back of my suburban and leave them to freeze. If it isn't freezing outside I stick them in coolers with ice till we get home then they go into the freezer. Typically the first deer taken is consumed at deer camp after registration.

Back to the original question - I'd eat any size hog I get the chance to shoot.

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